In January, I began my exciting journey in earning a Master’s Degree in English. I jumped back into academia to not only boost my communication, writing, and research skills in my current professional role but to also reach my ultimate goal of becoming an English professor. Last summer, I found myself doing some intense soul-searching, and finally decided to take the plunge and apply to graduate school. While the road to Dr. Mangione will be a challenging one, it will also be rewarding, for English is a passion of mine, and I hope to inspire others to love and embrace literature and the freedom and serendipity of expression. The world of literature is a tremendous place, and everyone should have the opportunity to escape their surroundings and explore it.

From an early age, I have always enjoyed reading books. While other children my age were exploring the outside world, I was indoors with a book in my hands. While others were on the jungle gym, I was opening the wardrobe to Narnia or fighting the Basilisk with Harry Potter and his friends. Even now as an adult, there’s nothing I love more than sitting on my couch with a steaming mug of tea and cracking open a new book, diving into a different world and going on endless adventures.

As I continue this journey in academia, I also continue to read for leisure. While I am doing so, I thought it would be fun to write book reviews and reflect on whatever I am reading. So, literary buffs out there, I hope you follow along and comment on my reviews!

I have kept my blog, KeepItKassual, for over 6 years. This is an incredible feat, although I write this with uneasiness. Keeping a blog is very hard, but I hope that this new
“rebranding” will help me write more and engage more with my followers. Thanks to all who have stayed with me throughout it all, and I look forward to hearing from more of you!